Arthur Noblesse-Oblige
Human male, born LY 837, in Triscot. Master and former Chief Councillor. Arthur comes from a wealthy clan who were among the founders of Triscot in 771. They had come from First Village, where a portion of the clan remained after Triscot's founding. In fact there are portions of the clan represented in nearly every village on The Land, and they have both personal and professional ties with many of the Land's other wealthy clans. However, they have also always firmly believed in an obligation of the fortunate to show generosity toward the less fortunate, and to always conduct oneself honorably. When the surname law was passed in 904, Arthur chose the name 'Noblesse-Oblige,' a Terran term which aptly reflected his clan's beliefs. Arthur was born in 837, the same year that a woman named Millith and her sister Brista moved from First Village to Triscot. It is believed that their family had once had social ties to Arthur's clan, though that is uncertain. What is certain is that Millith and Brista soon befriended Arthur's clan, as they held similar values. As such, Arthur himself grew up well-acquainted with Millith's family, and became like a cousin to her daughters, Alyn and Laina (who were born in 840 and 841). This relationship became even more important to him as a teenager, when two of the three branches of his clan that lived in Triscot, including the only real cousins he'd ever known, moved to Ristar, shortly after that village's founding in 850. Being an only child, the only family that remained to him were his parents, so he took great comfort in being an honorary part of Millith's family. He would later be like an uncle to Alyn and Laina's own children. When Laina's eldest daughter, Alyn (named after her aunt) married Adam in 887, Arthur became a close friend to him. In addition to sharing the same values, Arthur enjoyed listening to Adam's stories of his travels as a trader, and in fact it turned out that Adam had coincidentally established business connections with various branches of Arthur's clan, in different villages. Arthur's attachment to Millith's clan would be strengthened once again in 892, when his elderly parents both died (his father early in the year, his mother several months later). Arthur always had a love of reading and learning, and in particular a love of history, both of the Land and of Earth. It is said that his parents had named him after King Arthur, which is partly what fueled his interests, and reinforced in him his clan's concepts of what it means to be noble. Because of his love of these subjects, it was his dream throughout his youth to someday become a master, and teach history and literature to others. And so, that is precisely what he eventually did. In addition to being a friend and honorary uncle to Millith's grandchildren, he also became a master to them (and later to her great grandchildren). And of course, he worked as a master for the children of various other wealthy clans in Triscot, but also to less wealthy families (whom he charged less for his services). Role in the Coming of the Order While Arthur had no direct experience with the practice of law, he had become one of Triscot's most respected historians by the time talks were scheduled in Kurok in 899 to establish the court system, and as such was sent as one of his village's delegates to those talks. Later, in 902, when the concept of a class system was being hotly debated, Arthur did all he could to convince his fellow "nobles" that they had a responsibility to act in a manner befitting their station, and not to treat those less fortunate as if they were inherently less worthy. This reinforced his popularity with the masses, as well as with people who shared his beliefs, such as Adam. However, it made him considerably less popular with nobles who disdained those beliefs, such as Xander Illustri. It was also in 902 that discussions began concerning the establishment of a standard school system, and Arthur was a proponent of this idea. He had enjoyed working as an independent master for over four decades now, but had been starting to consider retiring in the near future. However, he thought that teaching in a school would be an interesting and possibly reinvigorating new experience, and looked forward to giving it a try. Also in 902, Bishop Therman of Plist organized the Protestant Movement, to oppose the Coming. Through Adam's friend, Bishop Toros of Triscot, Adam became a member of the movement, as did the rest of his clan. This led to a rift between Arthur and that clan, though he remained close to Millith, whose own position regarding the Coming was seemingly neutral. Political career When schools first opened around the world in 904, Arthur got a job as a history teacher at a public primary school. He could have easily obtained a more prestigious position at a university, but he said that simply wasn't for him. He'd always been a "man of the people," and felt the position he chose best fit his style. (Besides, after inheriting the whole of his clan's Triscot estate, he hardly needed a high-paying job.) Meanwhile, he supported the campaign of Demos Royal in that year's upcoming federal elections. When Demos began talking about Terran stories of medieval royalty, in the latter stage of his campaign, it greatly appealed to Arthur's long-held love of such stories, and he once again reminded the public that, as he had said back in 902, the nobility had an obligation to act nobly. It's believed that Arthur's support helped Demos get elected monarch. But while Arthur himself wasn't running for any office, he won the first election as Chief Councillor of Triscot's newly established village council, as a write-in candidate. Rather than refuse the position, Arthur bowed to the will of the people, assuming office upon Inauguration Day in 905. Though he was sad to relinquish his position at the school after a single year, he felt an obligation and gratitude to the people, which is a large part of why he chose the name 'Noblesse-Oblige.' Over the next few years, he did an exemplary job, and was reelected in 907 and 910. In 912, he announced that he would not be running in the next year's local elections, a fact which made Xander Illustri seem to be the most likely candidate to become the new Chief Councillor of Triscot. However, unforeseeable circumstances led to Adam Lonewander being elected to the position (which would soon thereafter be renamed Mayor). Arthur had reconciled with Adam in 912, and supported him in the 913 election. Another aspect of the 913 election was the Secession Referendum, which led to Triscot becoming of of four villages to found a new country, the United Villages of the Chaos. This country would be ruled by a Triumvirate, and one of the triumvirs was Adam's son, Darius Lonewander. However, Darius unexpectedly left the UVC in 916, at which point Arthur was persuaded to temporarily come out of retirement and assume the position of First Triumvir on a pro tem basis, until the 917 elections, in which he said he would not run. Category:People